FIC; Beside Myself (2/2)

[Jim_D_Means@xxxxxxxxxxx]

And here's part two. Enjoy.
Kirayoshi

Disclaimers; 
Everybody sing along! All characters owned and manipulated for the pleasure of the fans by Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and Twentieth Century Fox. Some chunks of dialogue are taken directly from the episode "The Replacement".

Author's Note;
So I was in the AIM chatroom with Shyfox, and she had an idea for a fic that she was considering posting as a challenge, and she gave it to me, and it ended up being the story that follows this Willow-esque babbling. Much gratitude is lain at the feet of Shyfox for giving me this idea.

Rating; PG.

Spoilers; 'The Replacement'

Feedbacky goodness; send it to Jim_D_Means@xxxxxxxxxxx

Summary;
What if the Toth demon had hit Buffy as he intended, instead of Xander?

========
Beside Myself (part 2)
Written by Kirayoshi
========

The Slayer prowled the walls of the magic shop, impatient for Giles to finish his research. As much as she recognized the necessity of knowing the enemy, she needed to get out. She needed to find the demon who tried to steal her identity, and slay it.

Finally she couldn't take the waiting any more. "I'm out of here," she announced. "I'll find our imposter myself." She grabbed her jacket and headed out.

"I'll go with," Riley offered, but the Slayer turned down his offer. "Sorry, Riley, but you'd only slow me down." She shut the door behind her, leaving Riley scratching his head.

For nearly as long as he had known her, Riley Finn had looked at her as though she were two people; Buffy and the Slayer. When he was with Buffy, he felt as though he was where he belonged. But then the monsters would come out at night, and she would put on her Slayer face. He had learned the hard way from his experience with the Initiative that there was more to hunting demons than fancy weapons and high tech chips. When it came to the things that went bump in the night, he knew he would never be in the Slayer's league.

But recently, he felt that the two halves were merging into something more. Something greater than the sum of their parts. Someone who would no longer need him. He also saw something whenever she was with the others, especially with Willow. Some spark, some fire that wasn't present when she was with him. He was certain that if Willow wasn't already involved with Tara, Buffy would seize her opportunity like a shot.

Whatever the situation, he realized at that moment that for all intents and purposes, if it wasn't already over between him and Buffy, it was only a matter of time.

He was interrupted in his ruminations when Willow burst into the magic shop. "Guys! We got trouble!"

"I swear," Giles muttered to himself, "this time I know I had that locked."

"Gang," Willow exclaimed breathlessly, "Toth looks like Buffy."

"We already know," said Riley.

"Wait a second," Xander asked, "how did you know about this?"

"She came to me," Willow explained. "And she's in terrible shape, we need to help her."

Riley's brow furrowed as he listened to Willow's words. "She came to us too."

"No," Willow answered. "We each had a Buffy. I mean ... you didn't have a Buffy, you had a, a demon in a Buffy suit."

Xander then interrupted, asking, "What makes you so sure that yours is the right one?"

"She knew stuff!" Willow said animatedly. "She, she talked to me, helped me figure some things out about me and Tara. Guys, it was Buffy, and she needs us."

"Oh, dear lord," could be heard from the desk where Giles was reading.

"Riley," Xander asked the ex-commando, "Our Buffy, didn't she seem a little--"

"Intense and serious?" Riley noted.

"Yeah, no jokes, no good humor, not our Buffy at all."

"I said, 'Oh, dear lord'," Giles interrupted the conversation. 

"You always say that," observed Xander.

"Well, it's always important!" Giles insisted, as he stood from his desk, carrying his book with him. He showed Willow the passage he had just read, and explained it to the others; "Neither Buffy is a demon."

"Ex-squeeze me?" Xander asked, scratching his head.

Willow started to look worried. "Um ... is one of them a robot?" She fervently hoped not. She still had nightmares about the Moloch beast who tried to seduce her through an internet chat room, and later assumed a robot form. Just what I needed, she groaned silently, to fall in love with a robot twice in my lifetime. Did I just say-- She shut the thought out of her mind for now.

"What?" Giles asked, distracted. "No. Um, uh, the rod device, it's called a ferula-gemina. It splits one person in half, distilling personality traits into two separate bodies. As near as I can tell, Toth had split the slayer into two different entities."

"Two Buffys?" Willow had asked.

"Yes. One with all the qualities inherent in Buffy Summers, and the other one with everything that belongs to the slayer alone ... the, uh, the-the strength, the, uh, speed, the heritage."

"But which one's the real one?" Riley asked.

"They're both real," Giles insisted. "They're both Buffy. Neither one of them is evil. There's nothing in either of them that our Buffy doesn't already possess."

Riley was still confused. "I still don't get the original plan. I mean, why do it? The slayer half would be like slayer concentrate, pretty unkillable."

"But the two halves can't exist without each other. Kill the weaker Buffy half, and the slayer half dies." Giles let his words hang in the air, for maximum effect.

"Oh, God," Xander said. "All-Slayer All the Time just went out to kill the other Buffy."

"And they probably both think in the same way, so she's sure to find her," Riley figured.

"Omigosh!" Willow exclaimed. "Buffy, I mean All-Buffy, she's on her way to her mom's, to make sure that she and Dawn are all right."

Giles immediately grabbed his coat, and the other Scoobs followed suit. "We'd better hurry if we're going to stop them. Riley, may we borrow your car?"

"Sure," Riley answered. Five desperate friends rushed to save Buffy from herself.

========

Joyce heard the door open, and raised her head from her cooking to see Buffy walk in. "Buffy, honey," she greeted her elder daughter. She saw the look of worry on her face, and asked, "What is it, honey? Is something the matter?"

"Not anymore, Mom," Buffy answered as she hugged her mother. Joyce was pleasantly surprised by this outpouring of affection. Ever since high school, which Joyce realized coincided with the discovery of her destiny as the Slayer, Buffy had always been guarded and reserved, not one to wear her heart on her sleeve. She had learned to accept whatever displays of affection that Buffy was willing to give. "I'm just glad that you're okay, Mom."

"I'm fine," Joyce assured her. "But obviously there's something bothering you."

"Not really, Mom," Buffy answered. "Something happened last night, and I was worried about you guys." 

Joyce waited for Buffy to continue, but she didn't. Joyce accepted that Buffy didn't want to burden her with whatever evil she had faced last night that put her in such a state. "Well, I guess I understand that," Joyce conceeded.

"Thanks, Mom." Buffy said. "Say, is Dawn around?"

"She's upstairs," Joyce answered. "Homework."

"Mind if I look in on her?"

"Not at all."

"Thanks, Mom." Buffy kissed her mother on the cheek, saying, "Love ya, Mom." She sprinted up the stairs. 

She knocked lightly on Dawn's bedroom door. "C'mon in," Dawn replied. Buffy walked in, seeing Dawn at her desk, pouring over a textbook. "Hey, Squirt," Buffy greeted her sister. "How's the quest for knowledge?"

"Boring," Dawn answered. "How's college life?"

"Not bad, Dawn," Buffy peered over her shoulder. "Anything I can help you with?"

Dawn looked at Buffy with a disgusted expression. "Not likely. Mom showed my your report cards from senior year."

"I stick out my tongue in your direction," Buffy teased Dawn. "Seriously, Dawn. If it doesn't involve math, I can probably help you out."

"Actually, Buffy," Dawn answered, "It's Shakespeare. Geez, how did this dude get such an inflated rep? Greatest writer in the history of the english language my eye! Get a load of this!" Dawn picked up her book and started reading; "'Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona where we lay our scene'! C'mon, now, who can get that?"

Buffy shook her head, amused by Dawn's frustration. "I know what you're going through. I had that problem when I tried to figure out Julius Caesar in high school. When I took Shakespeare in college last year, it got a lot clearer. Mainly because my professor insisted that we see the plays as well as read them. Fortunately, most of his plays have been made into movies. Hey, I got an idea," Buffy sat on the bed, and faced Dawn. "How about next Saturday, I'll rent 'Romeo and Juliet' and we'll watch it together. The Leonardo DiCaprio version."

"You mean that hottie from 'Titanic'?" Dawn's eyes widened as she spoke.

"Yeah, the hottie from 'Titanic'," Buffy smiled. "I'll bring the popcorn, and we can talk about it afterwards. The movie was set in modern Florida instead of 16th century Italy, so it shows how Shakespeare's still relevant today."

"Geez, you sound like that weirdo British dude you hang with," Dawn complained. 

"Fine," Buffy huffed, "insult me! Is it still a go?"

"Sounds like fun," Dawn admitted. She then regarded Buffy with a stern look. "You're not bringing Riley, are you?"

"No, Dawn, it'll just be us girls."

"Good, 'cause I don't wanna deal with you two sucking face all day."

"Don't worry, you won't have to worry about Riley and me sucking face." Very likely, ever again, she added to herself, half as a joke. But once the thought entered her head, she realized that it was the truth.

"Okay," Dawn said, smiling. "I'll still try to plough through the book though."

"Good," Buffy scruffed up Dawn's hair a little.

"Hands where I can see them, Toth!"

Buffy turned around, and faced herself. The Slayer stood in the door, a large axe in her hand. Buffy stood, and faced her other self, unsure of what she would do, but knowing that the imposter wasn't going to hurt her family. She felt a lump of fear build up in the pit of her stomach. Did the demon do anything to her mother?

"Buffy?" a voice called from behind the demon, and Buffy breathed a sigh of relief. At least Joyce was okay. "What the Devil's happening here?" Joyce stood behind the demon, looking at both of them. "Which one is my daughter?"

"Don't worry, Mom," the imposter snarled. "Once I plunge the business end of this ax into the demon's skull, we'll sort out who's who once and for all!"

"Yeah," Buffy stammered, unable to control her fear. "The one with the ax in her head will be the real Buffy!"

"There will be no axes in anybody's heads in my house," Joyce insisted. "Just put down that pig-sticker, Buffy!"

"Mom," the Slayer insisted, "she's trying to hurt Dawn!"

"I just suggested a movie night, that's all!" Buffy insisted.

"Mrs. Summers!" Giles' voice called from the stairwell. "Is Buffy up there?"

"Yes, Giles," Joyce answered in uncertain tones. "Both of them."

Willow was the first one in, and she faced the unarmed Buffy. "Easy, Buffy, it's okay."

"Wills," Buffy shouted. "It's the demon! He's trying to get to Mom and Dawn!"

"No, not really, Buff," Willow grimaced as she tried to explain to Buffy what was going on. While she tried to calm Buffy, Giles made it up, and managed to restrain the Slayer with his arm around her head in a hammerlock.

The Slayer thrashed in Giles' grip, but was unable to get any leverage. "Easy, Buffy," Giles tried to explain to the Slayer. "It's going to be okay."

As Giles dragged the Slayer out of the house, she screamed at him; "You're making a mistake, Giles! You've got the wrong girl! I'm Buffy!"

"No," Buffy answered, being led out of the house by Willow. "I'm Buffy!" Riley and Xander looked on from the porch, glad that they weren't directly involving themselves in this matter.

"Actually," Giles said in irritated tones, "you're both Buffy. It's a long story, I'll explain once we get to the magic shop."

"Assuming we make it that far," Xander shouted suddenly. He pointed toward the sidewalk, and the others followed the direction he was pointing. The Toth demon stalked down the sidewalk, intent on the two Buffies.

"Great," the Slayer growled. "Rot-face!" Giles let go of the Slayer, and she immediately threw herself at the demon. The Toth demon was unable to resist her attack for very long, and inside of two minutes, the Slayer was able to plunge the ax into the demon's chest.

Emerging victorious from the battle, the Slayer looked at her other self. "Okay," she challenged Giles. "If Toth's dead, then why's she still here?"

"She's not a demon," Willow explained. "She's you. She's the missing other part of you. You're the Slayer, she's Buffy. Yin and Yang. Ebony and Ivory. Uh, Rocky and Road."

The Slayer looked at Buffy, who stared back at the Slayer. The two of them stood there, comparing each other's faces. "My god," Buffy said. "You're me."

"Part of you, I guess," the Slayer answered. She turned to Willow and the others, and asked, "So, now what?"

========

The gang were joined by Anya when they regrouped at the magic shop. Buffy and the Slayer stood together, while Willow examined both of their faces closely. "Wow," she said, "It's all double. You've both got that little mole on your neck. And that tiny little scar right behind your ear, just along the cheekbone. And that tiny little hair that seems to go back into your nose--"

"Yes, very interesting," Giles commented. "They're completely identical."

"Yeah," Buffy admitted. "We did a detailed comparison in the back of Riley's truck." The others looked at her oddly, and the two Buffies glanced at each other, realizing what that sounded like. "Fingerprints," Buffy amended, holding up her hand. The others laughed.

"Psychologically, this is fascinating," Riley commented from the back of the shop. "Doesn't it make everyone wanna lock them in separate rooms and do experiments on them?" Six pairs of eyes, two of the pairs charcoal-grey/blue, bored into his forehead. Uneasily, he said under his breath, "Yeah, just me, then."

"Great," the Slayer said. "So how do we get me back?"

"Well, maybe we shouldn't do this reintegration thing right away. See, Riley can take the girls home, and ...they can all have sex together, and ... you know, just slap 'em back together in the morning."

Suddenly Anya was the victim of six pairs of staring eyes.

Giles nervously suggested, "Uh, uh, we just need to light the candles. Also, we should continue to pretend we heard none of the disturbing sex talk."

"Right," Willow agreed, desperately trying to hide her blushes. Anya's suggestion left some strange and entertaining thoughts regarding herself with the two Buffies. "Candles and pretence."

"It's not like he'd be cheating," Anya grumbled. No one listened to her.

"But what if it doesn't work?" Riley asked.

"Kill us both, Spock!" Buffy and the Slayer said in unison, then laughed. 

Giles rubbed the bridge of his nose, muttering, "She's clearly a bad influence on herself." 

Once the candles were lit and the circle was drawn, the Slayer spoke, saying, "Okay, Wills, summon the Goddess, chant the chant, let's do it."

"Actually, it's not that hard," Willow explained, smiling. Here, she was in her depth. "Your natural state is to be together. Toth's spell is doing all the work of keeping you apart. I just have to break it. So you two stand right there. Side by side. We don't want to end up with two fronts, now do we?"

After a moment of silence, Willow intoned, "Let the spell be ended."

"You gotta be kidding," Buffy complained "'Let the spell be ended'?" That's not going to work!" She opened her eyes suddenly, and saw that her duplicate was gone. She felt the strength and courage that came with being a slayer flood her being. Plus, she felt the memories of what she experience in both seperate bodies.

"Oh," she said. She smiled at Willow. Her friend had saved her. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, was back.

========

Three days later, Buffy and the others were helping Xander move out of his parents' basement. While Buffy was dealing with her forced seperation by the Toth demon, Xander had finally taken it upon himself to rent an apartment. Buffy could overhear Xander argue with Anya over a set of Babylon 5 commemorative plates, and Anya's suggestion that they load up Buffy like a pack horse.

Riley grabbed a box, and met Buffy at the stairs. "Hey," he said feebly.

"Hey back," Buffy smiled. She knew that this moment was coming. One of the many things that both halves had agreed on, she realized after she was made whole again, was that her future was not with Riley. Now, she had to tell him.

"I gotta say, Buffy," he started, "it's good to have you back. All of you, I mean."

"Thanks," Buffy answered. She didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to say anything that would cause him pain. But she had to.

"You know," Riley continued as he put down the boxes, "this situation, with the two of you, it made me think. I know you think that I don't get you, the whole slayer thing, and that I'd be happier if you were just Buffy. But that's not true. I know you, Buffy, I know the Slayer. And there's not a part of you that I'm not in love with." 

Hearing this confession made Buffy's heart hurt all the more for what she had to say to him.

Riley took Buffy's hand in his, and concluded his thought. "And you don't love me."

Buffy looked suddenly at Riley as he spoke those words. They weren't a question, they weren't an accusation, they were a simple statement of fact. Buffy bowed her head, and said, "I'm sorry, Riley."

"Don't be," Riley carressed her cheek, wiping a newborn tear with his finger. "You're a good person. You need someone whom you can love with all your heart. And I think that you know who that person is."

Buffy shook her head. "No, Riley, I'm over Angel."

"Did I say Angel?" Riley smiled at Buffy. "Still friends?"

"Sure," Buffy smiled weakly at Riley. Riley grabbed the boxes and headed up the stairs. As he made his way up, Willow slid past him on the way down. "Hey," he said to Willow. "You hurt her, I'll beat you to death with a shovel."

Willow looked at Riley, confused. She then went to Buffy and asked, "What was that all about?"

"You know the psych major," Buffy quipped. "Thinks he knows us better than we know ourselves." She smiled as she looked at Willow. In this case, she conceded, he might be right.

"Hey, Buff," Willow asked. "You doing anything Saturday?"

"Oh, actually yeah I am," Buffy said. "I promised Dawn I'd rent 'Romeo and Juliet', well, half of me did, and the whole me is kinda stuck. Besides, I thought you and Tara would be doing something."

"Nah," Willow said. "Not anymore, anyway. She and I had a talk. The old 'hope we can be friends' talk."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Hey, it's okay," Willow smiled at Buffy. "Would Dawn mind if I tagged along with the movie?"

"I don't see why she should," Buffy answered. "And if she does, tough luck."

Willow laughed lightly, and Buffy thrilled to the sound. Yes, she realized, things were going to get interesting with Willow. She suddenly realized what Riley was saying.

She had to be split in half to find out who she was. And now that she was one person again, she realized that she still wasn't whole. 

But she had Willow. And with her, she would be whole again.

Willow was her other half.

FINIS
@}---`---,---




Download NeoPlanet at http://www.neoplanet.com